Palace on EDSA rites: Time to move on

Saying it is time to move on from the past, Malacañang on Thursday said the Duterte administration will have a “simple and quiet” commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the EDSA “people power” revolt next week.

In a news conference, Palace spokesman Ernesto Abella said this year’s EDSA anniversary celebration would be “a reflection on nation-building,” with an aim to give the people “a more positive outlook.”

“Basically, the whole [objective]is moving the nation forward from just looking back at what has happened in the past but moving forward to the future of the Philippines as everybody is encouraged to cooperate in nation-building,” Abella told reporters.

This year’s EDSA anniversary celebration will be low-key compared to previous years as it will be done within Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City instead of its usual venue at the People Power monument at White Plains and EDSA in Quezon City.

Aside from a Mass, other details of the event, including the attendance of Duterte, are yet to be confirmed.

“Hopefully, if it’s done within the grounds and I think they’re having some simple rites in Malacañang. I think there’s a planned Mass or something like that,” Abella said when asked if Duterte will attend the event.

Duterte, a vocal ally of the Marcos family, has been accused of being lukewarm about sympathizing with martial law victims after he allowed the burial of former strongmanFerdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani last year.

The EDSA revolution led to the ouster of Marcos and swept Corazon Aquino to power in 1986.

Abella denied that the Duterte administration purposely decided to make EDSA rites simpler because it was an event associated with the Liberal Party.

“No, we think holistically, you know. The whole nation is evolving we can’t get stuck in the past,” the Palace official said.

“Like I said, you know, the emphasis has shifted. It is no longer a celebration of the past, it is now a reflection on what can happen in the future. So it’s a moving on from those things,” he added.

4 Comments

ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! TIME TO MOVE ON AND THIS EDSA THING SHOULD NEVER BE CELEBRATED AS THIS WAS THE REASON FOR THE PHILIPPINES DOWNFALL. It’s too corny to celebrate an event that really didn’t do anything positive for the Philippines and the Filipinos, sa totoo lang! Tell me just one thing that the Aquinos did good for the country that anyone can honestly believe in their hearts and minds. And please don’t tell me that Cory restored democracy huh because that was their biggest lie…and what about the son? We can charge that to experience but never ever make a fool again by voting or assigning people associated with these Aquinos. There are lots of improvements in the Philippines today under the Duterte Administration so let us not rock this boat and let it cruise smoothly.

No.this is another way to let people forget the ousted of the most wanted criminal in our country. Duterte in a tuta of the Marcoses. I hope the Filipino people will not forget all the victim of the Dictatorial Crime of marcos. and this is the Day that will remind all our next generation that people power is the ALIVE.

i hope some like you should move on. what happened after the yellow peoples revolution? more Filipinos gets poorer, more athrocities. who are the victims of martial laws? most of them are the those who were fooled by the aquinos.